Summary: “Wake up!” wrote the apostle Paul to slumbering believers (Romans 13:11). To Ephesian Christians he wrote: “Wake up, sleeper!” (Ephesians 5:14). To a dying church in Sardis, Jesus said, “Wake up!” (Revelation 3:2). My fellow believers in Jesus Christ, are you slumbering? spiritually drowsy? weighed down and captured by the world? To paraphrase the old children’s hide-and-seek saying, “Ready or Not, Jesus Is Coming Back!” My appeal to you today from Scripture is, in the words of Jesus Himself, “You also must be ready” for the return of Christ (Matthew 24:44).
Jesus is coming again a second time (Hebrews 9:28). That much is certain. But the order of events at the end of the age is less certain and is the subject of varied opinions by theologians and bible teachers. Yes, it is certainly good to study these things. But as our teacher said in that first class on the Book of Revelation, it is more important that we live our lives so as to be ready for these things. Whether or not they occur in our lifetimes, in all cases we will profit greatly by living in a state of readiness.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, KJV And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints…
Jesus the Son of God came to earth the first time about 2,000 years ago. Hebrews 9:28 tells us that He will come again, a second time.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (and to us) that Christ’s second coming will have radically different consequences for two groups: (1) He will “be glorified in His saints” — those who have been saved through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ — and (2) those who “know not God and…obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The latter will face the Lord’s “vengeance … in flaming fire.”
So the ultimate, all-important readiness is being saved, being born again, by having deliberately come to the Savior Jesus Christ in faith and repentance. The bible speaks of a number of additional, interesting scenarios of readiness. We would do well to take them all seriously, in order to be “ready” for whatever is coming while we are alive on this earth. Let’s look now at some of them.
Matthew 25:1-4, 10 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps… [10a] But while [the foolish virgins] were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.”
This is bridal terminology and reminds us of the apostle Paul’s words to believers: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
Commentators may disagree on the exact meaning of Matthew 25 above. But a key point is that Jesus wants a closeness with us that is well expressed in bridal symbolism. And the virgins’ readiness for the Bridegroom’s coming for the wedding banquet was predicated on the virgins in the parable having an abundant supply of oil. In the Scriptures, oil is often a symbol of the Holy Spirit — for example, in 1 Samuel 10:1,6 and 1 Samuel 16:13.
That strongly suggests to me that every Christian would be wise to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit — both the new birth by the Spirit and the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 19:7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”
Here is that bridal terminology again. The Bride of Christ has “made herself ready.” Ultimately, all that we receive from God is by His grace. But that does not remove from us our obligation to apply that grace in our lives and to expend every effort to “make ourselves ready” for presentation to our perfect, radiant Bridegroom Jesus. A passive believer is not likely to be a “ready” believer.
Luke 21:34-36 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Jesus issued some stark warnings here about readiness, in anticipation of the end-time events that will culminate in His second coming. His counsel is to “be always on the watch, and pray.” In other words, we must live in prayerful, watchful readiness for “all that is about to happen.”
“Be careful!” said the Lord. Careful about what? About our hearts being weighed down with worldly things such as “carousing, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life.” I grieve as I see more and more Christians embracing alcohol and even posting their drinking escapades on Facebook. Jesus said, “Be careful!” But the flesh says, “I want to be free!” Well, the big danger is that, as Jesus said, their hearts will be weighed down. They may be “free” alright — free from the watchful, prayerful readiness that He exhorted us to.
What was Jesus’ solution? Watch always … pray … be careful. Don’t engage in any conduct that will damage your careful watchfulness and prayerfulness.
Luke 12:35-37, 40, 42-43 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes… [40] You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him… [42] Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns."
This parable of Jesus makes it clear that in a “ready” Christian there is no place for either natural or spiritual laziness. Rather, he or she is ready for service.
1 Peter 3:15, GNT “…have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you.”
This is a very important state of readiness: (1) Jesus Christ holds a very special, central place in your heart; and as a result (2) you are “ready always to give an answer” (KJV) to those who see something in you that causes them to ask about your hopefulness, your optimism. And that answer, of course, is the hope that you have in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:44 “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Those to whom Jesus spoke this in person did not live on earth long enough to see His second coming. That may be our experience too. Or perhaps we will be the blessed generation that lives to see His return to earth. Whether that occurs or not, remember Jesus’ warning for all the centuries of the Church Age (to Peter, John, and the other first-century disciples, and also to us who live at this end of the age) — “You also must be ready.”
How can I be ready? In brief, as we have seen, come to Jesus as Lord and Savior, being born again by His Spirit … seek the fullness of the Spirit in the baptism with the Holy Spirit … cultivate your love of Jesus as a bride loves her husband … be watchful … be prayerful … be careful not to get weighed down by worldliness … keep your lamps burning for Him … be always ready for service, for ministry on the Lord’s behalf … take good care of those He puts under your care … keep Jesus central in your hearts and be always ready to share the hope you have with those who may ask about it. “More important than knowing all these things is to be ready when they happen!” That is my hope and prayer for each of you reading this today.
